Tech Briefs Magazine - June 2024 - MD12

Improving Surveying Efficiency by Using Robots and
Precision Positioning
B
ringing a construction project from
planning on the page to execution in
the real world is replete with challenges.
Whether a company is building a sprawling
solar farm or laying lines on the
road, precision is paramount. Misfires of
just a few inches can have massive implications,
and that often leads to a plodding
layout process. But, in partnership
with Point One, Civ Robotics is ensuring
that precise construction layouts won't
be at odds with efficiency.
Land surveying is a critical stage in the
construction layout process, during which
workers use various forms of global navigation
satellite systems (GNSS) to mark specific
locations for builders.
" It's kind of showing the blueprints in
the real world, " said Liav Muler, CEO and
Co-Founder of Civ Robotics.
Because this process demands a high
degree of precision, any GNSS readings
must be validated and corrected to ensure
accuracy, sometimes within even a few centimeters.
Historically, this work of verification
and layout marking has been done by
highly skilled workers manually carrying
GPS tools to mark each construction spot,
but Civ Robotics is out to change that.
Founded in 2018, the company aims to
" revolutionize land surveying " with precision
layout robots that anyone can operate.
Leveraging Real-Time Kinematics
(RTK), Civ's rovers can translate construction
plans to real-world layout markings
that are accurate within less than a
centimeter - and do it with speed.
Where traditional surveyors would mark
200-450 coordinates per day, Civ operators
can mark anywhere from 1,200-3,000
points in the same period.
Since bringing its products to market in
2021, Civ Robotics has expedited the land
surveying process for dozens of clients in
the industry, from solar farms to road construction
companies.
To ensure meticulous accuracy during
surveying, Civ's rovers typically connect to
a base station through an RTK bridge. This
process corrects any potential GNSS errors
due to satellite clocks, atmospheric disturbances,
or other types of interference.
However, base stations are extremely
expensive - a survey-grade station can
run anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000.
Each base station also requires Muler to
be on site to set it up and calibrate it for
the client. The costs are substantial, and
the setup process is highly disruptive to
Muler's workflow.
Civ needed a way to get secure, reliable
corrections via a simple, direct NTRIP
mount point without the hassle of setting
up its own base stations. An NTRIP setup
would rely on its own network of RTK
base stations, eliminating the need for
Civ's own installations.
" For me, having NTRIP is always easier
than setting up a base, " said Muler.
" It's easy. It's always working. There are
no problems. "
The challenge, though, was finding a
partner with a sufficiently broad network of
base stations for NTRIP coverage to meet
his clients'
precision
layout demands.
Initially, Muler found a workable solution
via an established vendor partner. He
wasn't actively looking for a replacement
solution, but he wasn't happy with the cost
or the cumbersome process of creating
new accounts with his existing vendor.
When he came across Point One at a
trade show in Berlin, he was immediately
drawn to the product thanks to its comparable
precision, greater ease of setup and
competitive pricing.
" It has a good distribution of base stations
and good coverage, " he said. " Plus,
the previous company we worked with was
like two to four times as expensive, so for
me it was a no-brainer. "
After a quick trial with one client, Civ
Robotics was off and running with Point
One for any project relying on NTRIP.
In Point One's Polaris RTK Corrections
Network, Muler found a broadly dispersed
system of RTK base stations he could rely
on consistently. With more than 1,400 base
stations and 386,000 RTK correction devices
across the U.S., Polaris delivers 99.9
percent network uptime with lightning-fast
convergence times.
Founded in 2018, Civ Robotics aims to " revolutionize land surveying " with precision layout robots that
anyone can operate. (Image: Civ Robotics)
12
Not only that, but onboarding and setup
were a breeze compared to Civ Robotics'
previous experience. New clients could get
Motion Design, June 2024

Tech Briefs Magazine - June 2024

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